Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. 

By Britt Nelson

The entire world’s attention has been drawn to the rogue country of North Korea and its young leader Kim Jong-Un, but who is this man, why is he so determined to have nuclear weapons, and why is he threatening the entire Pacific Ocean basin?

News reports say China has moved 125,000 military troops to the border it shares with North Korea. China has also cancelled all flights into and from North Korea. Vice President Mike Pence on Monday visited the highly-fortified border between North and South Korea warning the North not to test any more ballistic missiles and to stop any further nuclear weapons testing and development. A U.S. Navy strike team is headed to the Sea of Japan and consists of a fully-armed nuclear aircraft carrier and several destroyer ships.

Authorities say North Korea already has nuclear weapons which they have tested and they may be preparing for another nuclear test. They are developing a nuclear-armed-missile-delivery system capable of reaching South Korea, Japan, Alaska, Hawaii and the mainland of the United States creating a threat which President Donald Trump finds unacceptable.

For years, past U.S. administrations have kicked the can down the road too many times in regards to the growing threat of North Korea. There has been a consistent policy of containment regarding North Korea, but it’s now apparent they will not be contained except by force. North Korea is apparently hell bent on being a threat, a threat which may become reality complete with American military actions against them.

The reasons why North Korea has become such a threat to the region are as hard to unravel as trying to understand this secretive man who is leading North Korea into its darkest days.

President Trump is vowing to stop North Korea’s nuclear threat and he has asked China for their help in dealing with the North Korean crisis. President Trump and China’s president Xi Jinjing met recently in Florida with North Korea being the number one topic followed by trade issues. It remains unknown how effective China with be in curbing North Korea’s nuclear aggressions.

Jong-Un is the first of North Korea’s leaders to be born after the Korean conflict of the early 1950s. Since birth in the early 1980s he has been groomed to take over the leadership of North Korea, a country cloaked in secrecy and mystery. Even Jong-Un’s exact age is unknown. There are so many unknowns when dealing with North Korea, a country impossible to predict what’s coming next, but U.S. military forces are assembling in the Sea of Japan awaiting the North’s next move. The situation with North Korea could escalate and turn deadly very fast depending solely upon their actions. 

Meanwhile, stateside, FOX News has cut ties with long-time political commentator and news anchor Bill O’Reilly following a series of lawsuits filed against O’Reilly by numerous women charging sexual harassment that apparently were settled out of court with millions paid out by O’Reilly and or FOX News, according to the New York Times.

O’Reilly has hosted his number one rated cable news show “The O’Reilly Factor” for 21 years on Fox News. He issued a statement on Wednesday claiming the accusations against him are false.

“It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims, but that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today,” O’Reilly said. “I will always look back on my time at FOX with great pride in the unprecedented success we achieved and with my deepest gratitude to all my dedicated viewers. I wish only the best for FOX News Channel.”

At 67 years old perhaps it’s time for O’Reilly to move on and accept his forced retirement without further fanfare. FOX News also announced that commentator and news anchor Tucker Carlson will take over “The Factor” news hour at 8 p.m. beginning Monday, while “The Five” news hour will be prerecorded and broadcast at 9 p.m. with Sean Hannity keeping his 10 p.m. news slot. 

It is sad to see O’Reilly’s tenure at FOX News come to such an abrupt end, but such is life at the top these days. Whether or not the accusations are true, O’Reilly has helped shape conservative ideals across the political landscape of America in the 21^st Century. These conservative views will not end with O’Reilly’s departure. Republican conservatism in the U.S. is alive and well. Thanks to O’Reilly, and others, these ideals will continue to represent millions of hard working Americans who last year elected a billionaire from New York President of the United States.

Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh used to be who conservatives listened to, but his voice faded years ago. Then O’Reilly came along to lead the charge. Now that his days are up, who will be the next O’Reilly? Sean Hannity? Maybe. Tucker Carlson? Maybe. Someone else? Probably.

About the Author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.